Electrical Installation Condition Report.

 

What is an Electrical Installation Condition Report?

The purpose of an installation condition report is to help ensure the safety of persons and livestock against electric shock or burns and to help prevent property from being damaged by fire.

 

When the inspection is complete a report (EICR) will be provided that details the condition of the installation at the time of the test and will identify any areas of deterioration or installation defects and deviations from the wiring regulations. A list of recommendations will also be provided if relevant.

 

What kinds of properties need to have an EICR and how often should the test be carried out?

Domestic, commercial and industrial installations require a EICR to be carried out at regular intervals. These intervals vary depending on the type of installation concerned. Some examples are listed below.

• Domestic - 10 years or change of occupancy.
• Commercial - 5 years or change of occupancy.
• Industrial - 3 years
• Residential accommodation - 5 years or change of occupancy.
• Static caravans - 1 year
• Construction sites - 3 months

These intervals may be reduced after consideration has been made for the type and severity of use of the installation.
 

Why does an EICR need to be done?

All electrical installations deteriorate with age and usage and some faster than others depending on the environment and other factors.

 

There is legislation that requires all electrical installations to be kept in a safe condition.

Some of this legislation are written in :

· BS7671 IEE Wiring Regulations

·  Memorandum of guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989

· The Electricity at Work Act 1989

 

A Condition Report can also be requested by Public Bodies, Mortgage lenders, Licensing authorities or Insurance companies.

 

 

What is done during the inspection?

In order to carry out the test it is necessary to switch off the whole installation at least once. In certain circumstances it may be necessary to switch off individual circuits several times in order to find out what they control. Access will be required to all areas of the property that are covered by the electrical installation being tested. Any agreed limitations that are imposed on the inspection will be recorded on the certificate. If any faults are found during the inspection that present an immediate danger of fire or injury then we will make the fault safe by either a repair (permanent or temporary) or by switching off the circuit in question.

 

The tests themselves include ‘dead tests’ that are done with the electricity switched off and ‘live tests’ that are done with the electricity switched on. There will be a visual inspection of certain parts of the installation. A visual inspection will involve the removal or opening of some outlet points, such as sockets and switches.

 

Adams electrical will endeavour to keep any disturbance to a minimum and work with the customer to provide a service that is appropriate to both the customer and the installation being tested.

 

How long does it take to carry out an EICR?

This can vary greatly. The size of the property (floor area and quantity of individual circuits), age of the installation, type of installation are just a few of the factors that influence how long the test will take.

 

For a small domestic property such as a three bedroom house it could take just a few hours.

 

What do the reports look like?

Adams electrical uses the most up to date software package to compile the test certificates and reports. These are normally supplied on paper but can be emailed as a pdf file if required. The certificates comprise of several sections including circuit details and test results and a list of observations that were noted during the inspection. Each observation is accorded one of three codes to denote the severity of the fault or deviation that was observed. These codes are C1- ‘Danger present’, C2 - ‘Potentially dangerous’ and C3 - ‘Improvement Recommended’.